No Place Like Gloomsville
by GloomGangGirl
Summary: A curious, mythical creature moves into the gloom gang's mansion. She has come from a far away land, looking for somewhere new to live. She loves to dance and play music. She is also a bringer of good luck. But will she escape the horrors that lay ahead? Rated T for safety.
1. This is Gloomsville

I had been flying for days, only stopping to eat and go to sleep for the night. Exhausted, I landed on the grass of a random lawn. I didn't know where I was. I was completely lost. Stirring up the energy I had left, I walked out to the road and took a look at the town. I couldn't even tell based on my surroundings where I was. I gave up after a while, and headed over to a trail. Once the trail led into a woods, I turned there and collapsed under a tree, taking off a little purse containing my clothing and a special piece of paper. It was not even sunset and I felt like I could sleep for days. I rolled from my stomach onto my back, gazing up at the sky. Very, very cloudy. But at the moment, cooler temperatures were all I wanted. I was hot from the vigorous activity of flying. There was only one thing I knew, and my heart sank as I realized this. I was not anywhere close to where I'd lived before.

"Thailand," I sighed to myself, my lips quivering.

I came from Thailand on a journey to find a home. A new home. Because of the rapid change in human habitation, I needed somewhere that still felt like home to me. The only other reason I was leaving Thailand was the fact I was stuck in an exhibit. Basically, I was treated as though I was nonexistent. I had to pretend to be a statue. Not fun. Despite all this, though, I felt like I was the failure. I was a creature of protection, trying to keep all of Thailand pure and fresh. But the big city of Bangkok was quickly forming into a bustling mess of cars, pavement, and pollution. I began to cry as I realized what this meant. Thailand would lose the one they'd trusted in for so long. They'd be losing someone who had kept them safe. Someone who entertained them. I am not just any kind of creature, I am a kinnari. I am part bird, and part human. My job is to keep the citizens of Thailand happy, healthy, and away from danger. The paper I had contained a list of spells to help people of whom were suffering feel better. I'm also a creature of dance. But since the forest I'd loved dancing in was being destroyed, what else could I have done?

"Am I doing the right thing? Leaving the whole of Thailand? Should I just move to another part of the country? Or keep on my journey to God knows where?" I asked myself, my voice soft and croaky.

The Isan region was the only place that seemed reasonable for me, but it was too small. However, I wasn't even sure where I was heading and didn't know by this point if I could get back.

"I'm scared," I whispered, only the sound of birds and the light breeze accompanying me as I spoke.

I listened harder. No cars, no people, and best of all, no wood-cutting tools to be heard. I closed my eyes, rolling onto my side, and falling quickly to sleep.

I jolted upright suddenly. How long was I asleep for? It was dark. But at this time of day? Or was it still day? It couldn't have been. The temperature felt no different than when I'd gone to sleep. I must not have slept long. Or did I sleep a full day away and just begin to wake up now? These questions raced through my head, and I began to move from side to side in a rhythmic motion, something I seem to do when I'm nervous.

"Oh. You're awake," said a voice.

A young looking girl came over to me. I looked up at her, confused. What was she doing out here all alone? Then a few more people came over to me, looking not much older than the girl. How come they had no parents with them? More importantly, since when can skeletons walk? And what kind of place has a one-bodied person with two heads, one side of the body blue and the other side green?

"Hi. I'm Ruby. These are a few of my friends. Skull Boy, Frank and Len, and Doom Kitty," she introduced.

"Hello," I said shyly.

I could speak English, but was nervous. These people were out in the darkness. In a place that had no shelter. Trees were good, but what if it started to storm? With lightning and thunder?

"What are you guys doing out here by yourselves?" I asked after a while.

"Oh. We know these places like the back of our own hands. Or paws in Doom's case," laughed Ruby.

"We came by about an hour ago and saw you were sleeping. Are you alright?" queried the skeleton.

Shish! He can talk too! This was one weird place.

"Yeah," I said with a yawn, "just tired."

"Hey there. I'm Len," said the green head.

"And I'm Frank," smiled the blue head.

"Hello. My name is... uh... You might have trouble saying it, since my language is different from English. Just call me... Karina," I managed, unsure of how to bring up such a subject.

"What language do you speak?" questioned Ruby.

"Thai. I come from Bangkok," I answered.

"I've never seen such a wondrous creature before! Wings, feet, and tail of a bird, and the torso, arms, and head of a human. What are you? If you don't mind me asking," wondered Skull Boy.

"I'm called a kinnari. You say it, kee, nah, ree," I explained, smiling through the fog of tiredness.

"Well! You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! If it's not so difficult to answer, what brings you to Gloomsville?" queried Ruby.

I thought a moment. The group in front of me frowned, realizing that maybe it wasn't the best thing to talk about. But I summed up the courage I had, and told them.

"I'm looking for a new home. My forest had been destroyed. Plus, I've been living in this exhibit, and the people there treat you like you're nonexistent. Except the people who run it. But they don't want people knowing I'm alive. They're turning the forest I loved dancing in to housing property for humans. I'm actually not sure if I should be here though, since I'm a creature of protection. I look down on the well being of everyone, especially the ones who live so close to me. But I've left Thailand and I'm not sure if I should have," I admitted.

"Well, take as much time as you like to recuperate from your loss. We'll do everything we possibly can to get you back on your feet. You can leave whenever you're ready," assured Ruby, her face almost splitting as she smiled.

"Thank you! So much! You're too kind!" I cried, getting up.

"Come. I'll show you to our mansion," smiled Ruby.

"Welcome to Gloomsville," added Skull Boy, and we started walking.

"Yeah! Welcome!" cried Frank and Len in excited unison, high-fiving me.


	2. Meeting Iris

"Question. How long was I asleep for?" I asked, breaking the sudden silence that had fallen over us.

"Well, I saw you in the lawn two hours ago, and thought you were lost. I was about to go and ask if you were looking for help, but then you disappeared down the path. When I realized I hadn't seen you for an hour, I asked Skull Boy, Frank and Len, and Doom to come with me and find you. We found you sleeping under the tree, so we went back home for a while," explained Ruby.

I hadn't slept long at all. At least not long enough to be concerning. I deserved it though.

"Oh. Okay. So your house isn't too far from here then," I smiled.

"Nope. In fact, here's the door," Ruby smiled in return, and opened it.

Instantly, I could tell someone had been baking. The smell of what I assumed to be cake wafted throughout the hall. She led me to a high-backed chair, and I sat down. I wasn't far from a nice, lightly crackling fire. It was warm. So warm, in fact, it felt like I'd been teliported back home.

"Would you like a piece of cake?" Ruby asked, her smile never fading.

"Sure. But not to be rude, what is in it? I'm allergic to wheat," I replied, a little tentative.

In my culture, it is not very polite to turn down an offer. Sometimes, the guest may reply, "Oh, no problem, I'm good," but they'll give you the offering anyway.

"There isn't any wheat. We stopped using it when we found out Misery was allergic to gluten. She gets severely sick," answered Ruby, her face turning into a small frown.

Misery. What kind of name is Misery? At the moment, I didn't really care, for I was too tired and hungry. Ruby came over to me not long after with a beautifully crafted plate. On it, was a medium-sized piece of chocolate cake. It looked so crumbly that I thought it would break just from the touch of a finger. I dabbed the fork that had been placed carefully beside it into the rich chocolate pastry, eagerly taking a bite.

"Can we have some too, Ruby?" asked Frank and Len in unison.

"Sure," she replied, handing them a piece, and cutting one more for Skull Boy.

"Wow!" I cried, moving my tongue around my mouth, savouring every bit of chocolate I could.

"Thank you! I'm glad you like it!" laughed Ruby, just as a crash was heard at the other side of the house.

"I'm good!" called a young, gleeful-sounding voice.

"That didn't sound good," I laughed as I swallowed another bite.

"That's Iris for you," laughed Skull Boy in return.

"Hey! New visitor! OOOOOOOO! You're so pretty!" cried Iris, bouncing up to me on shoes that appeared to have springs at the bottom.

"Oh. Hello, Iris," I greeted her, laughing as I watched her bounce up and down, up and down.

"Don't you just love Ruby's baking!?" she cried.

"Yes!" I smiled in return, suddenly gasping as the little girl bounced back, crashing into one of the chairs at the other end of the room, bringing it down with her.

"I'm okay," she said, getting up almost immediately, and picking up the chair.

I frowned slightly. It saddened me to see such a young girl hurt herself that often.

"You sure you're okay? You fall an awful lot," I said, my voice low.

"That's not the worst I've been through," she laughed, and I shuttered.

"Iris will be fine, Karina," assured Skull Boy.

"Wait a sec. You only have one eye!" I cried suddenly, quickly slapping my hands over my mouth in shock.

"Yeah! It's because I'm a cyclops! What are you?" asked Iris, beginning to bounce again.

"I'm a kinnari. Kee, nah, ree. I am part bird, part human. I look down on the well being of others. I am a symbol of good luck," I explained, watching the little cyclops go up, down, up, down.

"Cool! You could help Misery!" she shouted, just as she fell again.

"I guess I need to get these looked at," she muttered, taking them off and walking away.

Misery. There was that name again. But Why the name Misery? I didn't feel she deserved such a name. A gluten allergy, and maybe a little bad luck was the only thing I was picturing.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" asked Len, snapping me back to reality.

"Misery. That's all that's going through my head," I admitted.

"Well, why don't you head for the basement. I'll show you where it is. I'll clean up here and be down with you in a minute," suggested Ruby, coming over to me.

"Alright," I said, getting up to follow her.


	3. Beyond Miserable

We walked out to a set of rickety stairs, and I took a deep breath in as I prepared for a very dangerous walk down them.

"Just hold on to the wall. Go slow," instructed Ruby.

It wasn't so much the fact I had bird feet, but the fact that the stairs could crumble under my weight. However, I headed down, trailing along the wall, taking deep breaths in and out as I did so. As soon as I reached the bottom, I heard the sound of click, click, clicking.

"What is that?" I questioned softly.

"Someone there?" I heard a voice call, the clicking suddenly stopping.

The voice was low, almost sounding careless. I thought for a second, wondering if I should answer, or just walk back up the stairs.

"Um... hello. I'm new here," I called, my voice showing fear.

"Oh. I'm in here," the voice called out to me, the tone not changing.

I slowly walked toward the room, turning right. I looked in as I stood at the entrance, and straight ahead of me was a girl with very sickly-looking skin. She sat on a bed of nails, with a pair of knitting needles in her hands.

"I'm... Karina," I said tentatively.

"I'm Misery," she answered, her voice low and slightly croaky.

I walked slowly up to her. When I looked at her closely, I noticed there were tears in her eyes, that were beginning to stream down her face.

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked, suddenly feeling sympathetic.

"I'm fine," she sighed, suddenly tensing as a lightning bolt hit her in the head.

I gasped in fright. I couldn't believe what I'd seen. The poor thing was burned black!

"Ow," was all she said.

"Oh my! Do you need me to call a doctor or anything?" I asked, for I couldn't treat lightning burns since it never usually happened to people that often.

"No. That happens to me all the time," she said, her voice low and monotone.

She then gently took my hand and shook it.

"You have wings too," she commented, showing slight surprise.

"Yes. I'm a kinnari. I am a half bird, half woman of good fortune. I look down on the well being of others and make sure everyone is happy," I explained.

"Okay," she sighed.

I've seen people of her kind before, but couldn't place the name of the figure. Bluish gray skin, long, black hair, and tears streaming down the face. I thought long and hard. Then it hit me. Banshee! I had seen one a few times on my travels.

"You're... very... well... sad. Aren't people of your kind ever happy?" I asked, my eyes showing sadness.

"Well, not really. We always have bad stuff happen to us. It's just the way things are in my family," she answered, just as a knitting needle slipped.

"Oops," she said carelessly.

"I got it," I said, picking up the needle.

"Thanks," she said, smiling ever so slightly.

"Oh! You just smiled! That was what I was hoping to see!" I cried happily.

"Um... okay," she said, starting back on her knitting.

I watched her for a while, and noticed she was looking very tired. But I didn't ask in case she was fed up with me by this point. I said nothing as I watched the banshee work on her project.

"Um... so... what's going on?" she asked, snapping me out of a trance.

"Oh. Nothing. Sorry. I guess I'll go now," I said, slowly turning away.

"Okay then, I'll see you later?" she asked, her voice low and croaky again.

"Sure," I laughed nervously.

I was very scared for her, and couldn't get her off my mind as I made my way back upstairs. Why was she so sad? She recovered quite quickly from the burns, and she was knitting with no problems, so what could it have been? She seemed beyond miserable. I didn't think Misery was the best name, since she had so much misfortune with nature.

"Oh. I was just about to come down. Is something wrong?" asked Ruby as she approached me.

"Misery," was all I said.

"Oh. Don't worry about her. She'll be okay. She's always miserable," Ruby explained.

"I know, but I feel bad for her," I admitted with a frown.

"It's okay. She has been awake for the passed few nights so she could sing with Frank and Len. See, she only sings when she's asleep," Ruby said, laughing slightly.

"Do you think if I let her sleep she'll be a little happier? Obviously she won't be smiling per-say, but do you think she'll brighten up a little more?" I asked curiously.

"Hmmm. Possibly," replied Ruby, and went down the stairs.

I followed, and we headed back into Misery's room. Misery was still knitting, but Ruby stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe you should get some rest now, Misery. I think you deserve it. You don't want to be tired all the time," suggested Ruby.

"Well, I was going to double check my first-aid kits and make sure they're all stocked, but... why not," she said in response, her voice lowering as she neared the end of her sentence.

She headed over to a shelf to put her project away, when suddenly something fell from the wall. It was a picture of someone. It looked like her, except a lot prettier.

"Ow," she said as it bounced off her head.

She then headed back to her bed, lying down. She yawned a long, tired, but almost contented-sounding yawn before closing her eyes, and falling soundly to sleep.

"Wow. She must have been tired," I laughed.

"Yeah. She has been tired lately. I guess that's why her bad luck has been a little more on the hard side these passed few days. It's not usually that bad," replied Ruby, and we headed upstairs, closing Misery's door behind us.


	4. Restless

The kitchen was very big. Even with the table sitting there in the middle of it. I sat down by Frank and Len, wondering what to have for a bedtime snack.

"Hmmm. Would you like some gloomy pudding?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Sure. What kind is it?" I questioned, equally curious.

"Vanilla. It's very yummy. I used to make it chocolate, but some of the gang doesn't like eating chocolate before bed, so I made it with vanilla this time," Ruby explained.

She set a bowl down in front of me, and I began to eat. I loved every bit of it. It was so good, that I had a second serving. Then I noticed there were three new faces. A crow, a bat, and a ghost.

"Hello. I am Karina," I said to the crow.

"Ah. Good evening to you. I'm Poe," he smiled.

"I am a kinnari. Kee, nah, ree. I come from Thailand. I'm a creature of good fortune. I look down on the well being of others, making sure that everyone is happy," I explained, making the bat sigh in relief.

"Oh. Hello. I am... Scaredy Bat," he introduced, his voice soft.

"Hello," I replied back.

"Would you mind terribly telling us about yourself a little more?" asked the crow.

"I actually come from a mystical world of Thailand, but I was taken away from there at a young age and placed in this little exhibit. The only one who could look after me was a kinnon, the male word for kinnari. Every night when everyone was gone from the exhibit, we'd head out to the nearby forest and practice flying, dancing, and the magic needed to protect from danger and death," I explained.

"Very interesting. How much older was this kinnon fellow?" queried Poe, who seemed to be the only one taking interest.

"He was old enough by this point to teach me everything. Which for our kind, is probably about ten years. I was taken away when I was six," I replied.

Just as I was about to take my second last scoop of pudding, my bowl disappeared. Before I knew what was happening, SPLAT! It went all over my face!

"Yes!" shouted the ghost.

"You're rude!" I cried.

"Sorry. I'm Boo Boo," he said, his voice a little sad.

"Don't take it personally. He always does that," sighed Poe.

"Okay," I answered, my mind not really focused anymore.

I was thinking only about Misery at this point. She was so fragile-looking. I felt scared for her. Just seeing that gray skin in the picture that had placed itself in my mind made my eyes well up.

"I can't stand this," I sighed to myself, the crow looking back at me as I stood up.

"What's wrong?" he asked, flying over to my chair and perching on the back.

"I saw Misery today. I noticed she looked very sickly. She kind of caught me off guard, and I'm very scared for her because she looks so ill," I admitted, my voice low as I turned back to face him.

"Ah. Misery. She is a strange woman. But she's no different than she's been for the passed few years she's lived here," explained Poe, patting my shoulder with his wing.

"You're sure?" I questioned.

"She's always been a little on the sickly side in terms of appearance," assured Poe.

I sighed, heading to the bathroom to clean myself of the pudding. This was the weirdest day of my life. Soon, after I had washed up and gotten ready for bed, I headed down the stairs to check on Misery.

"Softly, softly," I said to myself, but suddenly tripped on something, letting out a yelp in surprise.

It was a floorboard that was sticking out, and quite dangerously. I pushed it down, and ran over to Misery. She looked dead. But to my relief, her breathing was audible. She was kind of snoring, and for some reason, that comforted me.

"Misery?" I whispered, but nothing happened.

"Karina!? Your room is ready!" I heard a voice call.

At that same moment, Misery groaned, scratched the area bangs would normally be, and rolled over, sighing a sigh that was almost soothing. I smiled down at her, and gently patted her arm before I headed out of the room and to the stairs. She noticed nothing.

"Oh! There you are," laughed Ruby as I reached the top step.

"Hello, Ruby. Which way is my room?" I questioned.

"Up the next flight here and down the hall. Just turn left and it's the first door on the left side," she answered, heading up the stairs with me.

I turned and entered my room, closing the door behind me. I couldn't think of what to do by this point. I was tired, but not tired enough to be sleepy. Maybe it was the chocolate I'd eaten four hours ago. And what about Misery? Would she be okay through the night? All of these questions raced through my mind like mice running away from a cat. Luckily, though, I was right across from Ruby.

"Don't be afraid to wake me if you need anything," said Ruby, knocking on my door before she spoke.

"Okay. Thank you," I replied, opening the door to look at her.

I watched as she headed to her room, but then she turned back to look at me.

"Something the matter?" she asked.

"I'm still wondering about my home, and if everything will be okay," I lied.

Though that was true, it was still a lie. It's just that I'd been talking so much about Misery with them that I didn't want to bore them.

"I'm sorry," she frowned, hugging me.

I put my arms around her and we stayed like that for a long time. At least a minute had passed before we let go, and then we went into our rooms and to bed.


	5. The Voice

I woke up and it was still night, for I could see the moon. But something was different. I heard a voice. A voice that wasn't one I recognized. And was it moving around?

"That voice is beautiful!" I exclaimed quietly.

I opened the door, freezing for a moment as it squeaked. But no one seemed to hear.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaa, oooooooooooo," it sang.

I walked down the hall, looking for the voice. Then I realized, it wasn't upstairs where the bedrooms were. I headed down, and sure enough, there was the voice. It was very close now. I heard the footsteps, and noticed that wherever the footsteps went, the voice went. I stopped at the kitchen entrance, and before I could do anything, it came toward me. I suddenly gasped, my hands flying up to my mouth! It was Misery!

"Misery! Misery!" I cried.

She took no notice and walked right by me, almost like she saw me.

"Ooooooooooooooo!" was all I could hear.

I ran over to her, and put my hands on her hips. I pulled her close to me, looking at her face as she sang. Expressionless.

"Misery. Misery. Misery!" I said in her ear, trying to be calm, but loud enough to wake her.

"Oooooooo, aaaaaaaa," was all she did, singing the most beautiful melody I'd ever heard.

I decided that maybe talking to her to wake her wasn't a good idea. So, I walked her over to the couch, putting her down. She was very light. But I didn't worry about that, for I was too busy trying to wake her.

"Misery?" I said, stroking her face.

"Oooooooooh," was all she sang, this time her voice softer.

She was becoming softer, and softer, and softer, until she was still.

"Misery?" I whispered, but I was only accompanied by a moan.

"Misery?" I whispered again, but she was silent.

I took her back to my room, for I was not going to try and find a new place to sleep in that basement. Not while it was late into the night. I lay her down on my bed, and I sat on a chair in the corner. It was comfy enough that I could easily curl myself into a ball and fall asleep, which was exactly what I did.

When I woke up the next morning, she was still asleep, and had started singing softly. But it was off and on. She'd be quiet for five minutes or so, and start singing again. I was curious. I headed over to the bed, and saw that she was lying almost diagonally.

"Misery?" I queried, touching her arm.

She moved closer to the wall, her hand lightly hitting it as she did. That was when someone knocked on the door, making me jump, and Misery scream!

"Oh my! I didn't mean to scare you that much! Did I wake you?" asked Ruby, coming into the room.

"That wasn't me that screamed. It was Misery. See, I was afraid she'd get hurt since she was sleep singing and sleep walking, so I took her in here," I explained.

"That explains everything," came a muffled voice.

"Misery, I didn't put you back to bed in your bed of nails because I wanted to keep an eye on you and make sure you didn't walk into disaster," I admitted, my voice showing discomfort as I spoke.

"Thanks," she yawned, closing her eyes and falling back to sleep.

"I made breakfast. Do you want some?" wondered Ruby.

"Sure," I replied with a smile, and she closed the door.

"Misery? Ruby made breakfast. Do you want any?" I asked.

Misery just stayed still. She was snoring again, that light, almost comforting snore. I laughed, and decided since she was probably tired from not sleeping well for the passed few nights, I'd let her be.


	6. Bad Luck

When I finished my breakfast, I headed back to my room and saw that Misery was just waking up. She had opened her eyes as I walked in, and as I approached the bed, she stared up at me, confused.

"What's wrong?" I queried, kneeling down to get a better look at her.

"How did you find me last night? Was I in here? Or did I bump into something?" she asked.

"Well, when I woke up, I heard you singing. So I headed out of the door, looking around to see if I could see anyone. When I realized no one was up here, I headed downstairs to the main floor. You were walking around, and you sounded very beautiful, I must say. But I was afraid since you were asleep that you'd get hurt," I admitted.

"Oh. I guess I must have been stressed about something. I tend to do things like that when I'm stressed. But I feel fine right now, other than a slight headache," said Misery, suddenly rubbing her head.

"Oh. Do you need anything?" I questioned.

Misery sat up, rubbing her stomach.

"Uh oh. Migraine?" I asked, a little scared.

"It's probably just hunger. My headache is probably dehydration," she said, her voice a little troubled.

I felt her head and sighed with relief. No fever. But as I helped her to her feet, she seemed a little disoriented.

"The door's this way," I said, putting my arm out and guiding her to it.

"Oh. Um... where's Ruby?" she asked, trying not to reveal her discomfort.

"She's down..."

I wasn't able to finish my sentence, for Misery had suddenly freed herself from my grasp and headed for the bathroom. She let the door slam, and then I heard a coughing, almost choking sound.

"This can't be good," I sighed.

I stood there, unsure of what to think. Was it flu? Was it migraine? Or, although unlikely but probably with her luck, was it both? I scratched my head, thinking hard. I decided I'd turn to the stairs and call for Ruby.

"RUUUUUUUBYYYYYYY!" I yelled.

I heard Ruby running to put something away, and then she was bounding up the stairs. I thought she was going to fall.

"What's wrong?" she asked, huffing and puffing.

"Misery," I answered, my voice shaky.

"Oh. Oh no. What happened?" she queried, sitting down at the top step.

"She has a migraine, or flu... I don't know," I managed, trying to sound calm.

Just then, I heard the bathroom door open, and a shaky Misery stepped out and walked slowly towards us.

"Misery! Are you okay?" asked Ruby, her voice high.

"My stress headache, or more accurately, stress migraine, is back," she admitted, suddenly wobbling.

I turned and caught her before she could fall, but she looked up at me with big eyes.

"The worst thing is, I didn't even eat anything yet," she managed, her voice trailing off.

She suddenly looked like she was going to faint. I told Ruby to get a glass of water while I tended to Misery. I took her to my room, placing a garbage can beside the bed.

"Misery? Lay down with your head like this," I instructed, putting my arms out, and lying down on my stomach.

I put my head between my arms, and watched her. She stared at me, her eyes never changing. But soon, she had managed to get positioned.

"Stay like that until you feel better," I told her.

"But what if I don't?" she asked, her voice croaky.

"You will," I assured her.

Ruby came up with the water, and watched me. I stroked Misery, singing something I knew she wouldn't understand, but something I thought would soothe her. It was an old Thai song about love. But I was singing it in such a way that Misery yawned. She almost fell asleep, but then I noticed how relaxed she was and I gasped, waking her.

"Wow! Do you feel better now?" I asked, a little surprised.

"I think I do!" she cried, sitting up. "You really are a creature of good fortune!"

"Thank you!" I smiled.

She drank the water, and before long, she was completely back to normal. Well, at least to her.

"What to eat," she said.

"Ruby made pancakes. Do you want some? I think there's some left," I suggested.

"Okay!" said Misery, standing up.

Just as she was about to head out of the room, however, she tripped on the lip of the door, and fell on the floor, sprawled out. She didn't get up.

"Are you okay?!" I cried, putting my arms out to help her up.

A high-pitched screeching sound escaped her slightly-opened mouth, before she finally let out a sigh.

"Ooww!" she groaned.

"Misery? Are you okay?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah, just had the wind knocked out. I'm fine. It happens to me more than you think," she admitted, taking a deep breath in before speaking.

She slowly got up, and carefully headed down the stairs. I followed her, my hand on her shoulder to prevent her from falling again.

"Are you sure you can eat? I remember what happened the last few times you had this migraine," sighed Ruby.

"Yeah. My stomach's fine now. I don't know if it was just a little wave of something, or if it was her good fortune," Misery replied, her voice low, but showing slight happiness.


	7. A Spell Had Been Cast

When we got to the table, we saw Iris there, still eating, or rather, trying to eat, the remainder of her food.

"Are you feeling alright?" I queried, taking my hand off Misery's shoulder and heading toward Iris.

"I heard someone... throw up," said Iris, furrowing her eyebrow.

Misery frowned at this, and looked up at me, then at Ruby.

"Misery had her migraine thing come back. She's fine now, thanks to Karina," laughed Ruby.

"Oh. Okay," sighed Iris, showing relief, and happily digging into the last two bites of her breakfast.

Misery sat down, and Ruby headed over to get her a serving of pancakes. I smiled at Iris, who now had an empty plate, but also had syrup on her lips.

"I should go get you a cloth," I said, laughing at her.

As soon as I left, however, I could hear faint voices as I wet the face cloth.

"Uh oh," Misery said.

"What?" questioned Ruby.

"It's... back," she said, her voice raising in pitch.

Before she could get up, however, I had come back with the cloth, and she sighed with relief.

"Gone again?" wondered Iris.

"Yeah," answered Misery.

I handed Iris the cloth, and she cleaned all the syrup off. Quite vigorously too.

"Where would you like me to put this, Ruby?" I asked, taking the cloth.

"You can go downstairs and put it in the washing machine. I'm going to do some laundry today," she replied, and I headed downstairs.

I heard a sudden groan as I plopped the cloth into the machine, which was currently empty except for a swim suit that appeared to be Iris's.

"Misery! What's going on?" queried Ruby.

"I don't know. It keeps coming back. But it seems to go away when she's here," she said, her voice showing fear and discomfort.

I came back up the stairs, and as I entered the kitchen, I saw Misery's eyes go wide with fear. But as soon as I placed a hand on her to help her to the bathroom, she relaxed.

"I guess it's... I can't be... What's happening?" I questioned.

"Misery is feeling better now, but when you leave she feels worse," explained Ruby.

I thought for a moment. What was I doing that suddenly made her better? Every time I left, she would feel sick again. But why?

"I did sing to her. Maybe I somehow placed a spell on her without realizing it," I said, more to myself than anyone else.

Sure enough, it hit me. I did place a spell on her! I thought back to when I was young and learning from the older kinnon, the powers of our kind and how to use them. What was I to do? I couldn't leave her side at all now. I wanted to break it, but I was only saddened at the thought of her falling sick again.

"Migraines are the only things that scare me. Well, that and stomach flu. It killed my great great great great uncles half brother's great great great great grandfather," explained Misery.

"Oh. That's terrible!" cried Ruby.

"Yeah. Migraine is really only named that because she's a big pain in the head. Her screeching voice can cause a migraine to get worse too," Misery continued.

"Hmmm. If I head back home in a month or so, how will Misery be able to handle that?" I asked, my voice shaky.

"Do you know if you had cast a spell or not?" questioned Iris.

"I think I did. But I don't know how to break the part of the spell where I need to be present," I admitted.

Misery ate the pancakes Ruby had placed in front of her, looking at me here and there.

"My family is always given bad luck. Everyone. We are used to it. Even if we get a deadly migraine. And literally," she explained.

"Well, if I end up breaking the spell completely, I know one thing. We can't let you die," I told her.

I began to dance slowly around the table to calm myself. Everyone watched in amazement, but at the time I had taken no notice. Then suddenly, as if the lights had burned out, Misery jumped up.


	8. Magical Misfortune

"Where are you going?" I cried, freezing in my dance and looking in her direction.

I heard a sudden ghastly moan, and I knew right away what happened. But was it me? Or did the spell ware off? I know all the dances in Thailand for summoning both good and bad.

"Good morning all! Ah! Karina! Look. I found this little slip of paper in the woods under the tree Ruby had found you sleeping under. What is it?" Poe asked, flying in to see what was happening.

The notes from my lessons with my older friend! Just what I needed.

"Thanks for this, Poe! I was just about to go looking for that," I smiled.

I didn't even realize that paper had fallen out. I was so glad he found it. I unfolded it, and read it silently. Then I gasped! In bold, I'd written this:

The one who dances with heartache,

Will cause the spell of good fortune to break.

I couldn't believe it. But then I remembered. When I danced, I didn't feel fully at ease. In fact, I had been so worked up that my arms and legs wouldn't let me do the movements I'd wanted to do at first. Now Misery's migraine was back, and she was possibly going to die.

"Did I miss something?" queried Poe.

"I had managed to cast a spell on Misery, and I unintentionally broke it according to my notes here," I informed him.

"The spell only had an effect when she was actually with Misery though," added Iris.

"Oh dear," managed Poe, surprised.

"I wanted a way to break it, but not that abruptly," I cried, folding up my paper and falling to my knees.

It was silent for about thirty seconds. Then I heard a loud thud. It was actually more like a body falling on the floor. I gasped again.

"MISERY!" I cried, jumping up, and starting toward the bathroom.


	9. The Confession

"Are you okay, Misery?!" queried Ruby, running out to the bathroom ahead of me.

I didn't hear a reply, so I ran to see what was going on. Misery had blacked out. But how? She had eaten quite a bit of food. But to my relief, she began to stir.

"Misery. Just stay still. Tell me. Is there a reason you're having frequent stress migraines?" I asked her.

"I... it's... Frank and Len. They're making me... do a lot of... singing practice. I'm... awake day and night, only getting sleep during the rehearsals. Even then it's not restful," she admitted, sounding breathless as she spoke.

"You're still faint, Misery. Don't get up. You just stay there," instructed Ruby.

"Like I have a choice," she muttered.

Ruby left me in charge of Misery while she headed off to see Frank and Len. She was back in no time, looking ecstatic.

"Misery! Frank and Len said that you can take a break. They're feeling bad for putting all that pressure on you. You're free to relax and do whatever you feel until the next gig. Which, according to the calendar, is in two months. So I think you're okay," explained Ruby.

I smiled at Ruby happily, and looked down at Misery, who seemed to have brightened up slightly.

"Really?" she wondered.

"Really," laughed Ruby.

"I'm feeling so much better now. Tell them, thanks!" she exclaimed, jumping up to hug Ruby, but a flash of lightning soon struck her in the head. "Ow."

Before the lightning had hit her, I noticed a huge smile on her face. I had never seen such a wide smile on her face before. I looked at Ruby, and the look she gave me was almost like, "I agree."

"I guess I'll head down and finish my knitting, and check my first-aid kits," Misery sighed, but suddenly bumped into the wall.

"Ow," she said simply, and headed down.

"I hope she won't have to go to the hospital," I sighed as I heard Misery fall down the stairs.

"She'll be fine," assured Ruby, laughing slightly.


	10. Unsure

"So what's the plan? Are you planning to head back to Thailand or stay here in Gloomsville? We'll be more than happy with whatever you decide," wondered Ruby.

It had been a few months, and everything had gone wonderfully. Maybe a few little mishaps with Misery and Iris here and there, but nothing too major. I did want to go back to Thailand, but I really loved Gloomsville too. I was stuck.

"I really don't know at the moment, Ruby," I said after a moment of silence.

I was really getting used to the loud music coming from the garage, the bat and the ghost playing with each other, Skull Boy ranting on about how he thinks he's related to a long line of people he's currently trying to act like, and Iris falling and occasionally hurting herself. I had nothing much to do in Thailand, really. Just stand in an exhibit and look pretty. But every time when there was no one around, I'd go outside to dance in the forests. I was constantly on the lookout for people in case they noticed me, though. Plus, there is still the old kinnon that people can watch. He's exactly like me, after all, the only thing being that he's a male.

"I do need a little time to consider. But so far, I'm happy here. If it's okay, I'll stay a few more days so I can really try and figure out what to do. Because of Iris and Misery getting hurt so often, I haven't been able to think about that," I admitted.

"No problem," replied Ruby.

But what I didn't know was that the next day was Misery's birthday. This meant bad luck all day. And the luck getting progressively worse.

"Take all the time you need," insisted Poe.

"Thank you," I smiled.

The next day, I woke up to a thud, and a crash, followed by the sound of shattering glass. It was Misery!

"Oh no!" I cried, running out to her.

Misery was in the kitchen, sprawled out on the floor. She had a smear of blood on her hand, and it appeared that she had a piece of glass in her arm. Wait. A piece of glass?

"Don't move, Misery! I need to get that glass out of your arm," I warned her, and grabbed a pair of gloves.

With some difficulty, I finally managed to get the glass out, and grabbed a bandage from Ruby's first-aid kit.

"Are you alright?" I queried.

Misery looked up, her eyes tearful.

"It's my birthday, as you probably guessed. And I was hungry. I can't even walk two steps without something hurting me," she managed, her voice high with the sudden sadness that had overcome her.

"Oh. Misery. It's okay. I'll help you," I assured her, and with that, I lifted her up and put her in a chair.

I examined her cuts, and they luckily weren't too bad. So I put a few bandaids on them. I then cleared up the glass with a broom, running the vacuum cleaner through the room to clean up the shards.

"Is everyone alright?" queried Ruby just as I put the vacuum cleaner away.

"Misery fell and broke something," I explained.

"I was carrying a bowl to the table so I could get everything ready there instead of walking around the kitchen to get everything. But I fell and broke it," she sighed.

"What did you want?" asked Ruby.

"Cereal," she admitted, "it's the least I can eat without spontaneous combustion being a concern."

Ruby got the cereal, while I tended to Misery's legs. She'd somehow gotten scrapes on them too. But they were nothing too serious. I decided to rub some lotion on them just to be on the safe side.

"Misery? Why don't you just stay here today," I suggested.

"They're going to make me party and I can't party!" she exclaimed suddenly.

"Well, I'll take you to your room after breakfast and you can just stay there. I'll tend to you and give you whatever you need for the time being. You can't go anywhere if you're going to have things like that constantly happen to you," I sighed.

"At least someone understands," she grumbled to herself.

As soon as the cereal was ready, I offered to feed her, since I knew what was bound to happen if she touched it. But something else was in store for me. As soon as I gave her the first bite, she began choking. She had just swallowed when this choking started too.

"Misery, I've got this. It's okay," I assured her.

I moved the chair away from the table, and turned it so I could do the heimlich maneuver. I finally managed to dislodge the items blocking her trachea, and just in time. She was almost about to faint.

"There we go," I said as she caught her breath.

"Thanks," she sighed, and I headed over to the closet with the cleaning supplies to grab the mop.

"No problem," I smiled, sweeping up the little mess.

"I'm hungry. But how am I supposed to eat if that's going to happen?" she groaned.

"Maybe chew carefully," I suggested.

As soon as I put the mop away, I headed back over to the table. I pushed her in, and gave her another spoonful. She chewed carefully, and swallowed it with no problems!

"There you go!" I exclaimed.

"It's not over yet," she grumbled, but I just continued to feed her.

The more bad things happened to the gloom gang, the more troubled I became. I loved Thailand too. I was still trying to figure out what to do, but at this point I was in an even bigger jam.

"Until this is over, I'm unable to make a decision," I sighed to myself, staring down at the floor.


	11. Nearing Death

After I got the breakfast stuff put away, I helped Misery down to the basement. She almost fell, but I supported her. She lay down on her bed of nails, sighing heavily.

"Karina? Do you think that being around me, especially on my birthday, will help with the intensity of my bad luck?" she asked, a concerned look in her eyes.

I didn't know how to feel. Part of me was offended, being that it sounded like she had no trust in me. But another part knew that she was concerned for my safety, even despite the fact I was a creature of good fortune.

"Don't lose your trust in me, Misery. Though I can't make any promises, I will make sure you survive every disaster that comes your way," I said finally.

She sighed again, and was silent. I went out to Ruby, who was folding clothes, to ask her some questions.

"So you had experienced a birthday of Misery's before. What happened?" I asked.

"She was almost dead, but luckily, we saved her before anything too drastic could happen," she explained.

She then went into further detail, retelling every bit of the story. I gasped when I found out she'd fallen sick.

"So the sickness was just random?" I queried.

"Yes! We ended up having to take her to hospital! And out of town too! The Gloomsville hospital had been burned in a fire. There is a new venue built now though," she replied.

I gasped. I hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. Misery was a good friend. Though she seemed a little on the dry side in terms of humor, she was a friend nonetheless. I cared for her too much to think about her dying or having to go to hospital.

"Hey Ruby?! I'm making a cake, and I'm wondering, should I put the new candles on?! They're not trick ones this time!" I heard Skull Boy call.

"No! I think the candles igniting a second time was actually Misery's bad luck! Don't put them on! Maybe write happy birthday with candy or icing!" she called back.

"I'll use the icing tube instead! It seems like a safer option!" he said, and I heard him walk off.

I then heard a groan from Misery's room, and I excused myself, running off to check on her.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Not again," was all Misery said.

"What?" I wondered, bending down to look her in the eyes.

"I don't want a cake! I don't want a party! I want to not die!" she cried, just as something fell from the wall and smashed into pieces.

It was a picture of three banshees. The third looked like Misery, and she was hugging herself. The frame had smashed, and the picture now had scratches from the glass, making it hard to tell who the third banshee was.

"What's this picture?" I questioned, picking it up.

"It's a picture from the day I was rescued from the ice flow," she answered, her eyes welling up.

"Oh. I'm sorry it smashed," I sighed.

"Stuff like that's bound to happen," she replied, her voice choked up.

It was silent for a second, and then I noticed her eyes had suddenly gone huge!

"Misery? Are you feeling alright?" I asked, but there was no answer.

I began to stroke her, but then she tensed up. She let out a groaning sound as her muscles tensed, and then a scream as they tightened to their fullest! The next thing I knew, she was jerking involuntarily! Her breathing was now nothing but a gulping hiccup!

"RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUBYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" I screamed.

Ruby was there in seconds, along with the rest of the gang. Misery seemed to be unconscious, thankfully, for it looked very painful.

"Oh no! She never had that happen before! Call an ambulance!" cried Ruby, and Scaredy, who had come just after hearing the excitement, began to shake with fear.

"Don't worry Scaredy. The doctors will figure this out," assured Iris.

"I sure hope so," I muttered under my breath.

The convulsions showed no sign of stopping. And once the paramedics arrived, it seemed as though nothing would work. They even injected her, but nothing happened.

"I guess we should take her to the hospital," sighed Iris, and the paramedics lifted her.

The jerking did decrease in intensity and rate, but she still jerked here and there. Her breath had come back, but seemed laboured, so they had placed a mask over her face.

"Who would like to ride with her," asked a woman.

No one said anything, so I decided I'd go with her. I racked my brain for ways to help her get her breathing back, but couldn't find anything. I didn't want to cast a spell in case I had to leave her at some point. It took her at least fifteen minutes before the convulsions finally stopped and snore-like breathing was heard. The horror wasn't over yet, though. As soon as we got to the hospital, Misery had come to, and not too long after, lightning struck her, causing her to seize up again.

"Whoa! Misery!" I cried.

"Make it stop!" she screamed, her speech broken from the pain she was in.

"What?" asked the female paramedic.

"The burning!" she wailed, beginning to cry in pain.

But it was too late. Lightning struck her again, and this time, it was bad. Her skin was completely burned now, and the crying increased in volume.

"I guess this is a result of the seizure," sighed the female to a male, who appeared to be the driver.

"Yeah," he sighed in return.

Luckily, there was no more lightning, but it had been a pretty close call. She could have died, and I wouldn't have been able to save her. Not even despite my good fortune.

"Just go to sleep," assured the female, wheeling her into the hospital.

"I'll try," she managed, her breathing laboured from the crying.

I followed, placing my hand on Misery's arm. This was going to be one difficult birthday to enjoy.


	12. Discharged

Finally, after what felt like a year had gone by, Misery was awake and able to converse as normal. The doctors had done some tests earlier and no damage had been seen. But the cause of the seizure, as they called it, was unknown.

"If she has another one, bring her right back, okay?" said a female nurse, rather firmly.

"Okay," I answered, my voice high in fear.

Since it was her birthday, I was afraid she would have another. I paced around the room, trying to figure out what to do before helping her to her feet.

"So, are we taking her home now?" wondered Ruby, eying me as I walked out of the room carrying Misery.

They had come to the hospital in a van, and were following right behind us. They didn't want her to be out of their sight the whole time.

"Yes. I'll help her into the van," I assured them, taking the lead.

The walk to the van was long, because they had to park far back. The hospital had been busy today, with checkups and the time still being within visiting hours.

"How are you feeling?" asked Iris to Misery.

"I'm very tired, and feel like someone rubbed glue into my muscles," she explained, trying to lift her arm, only to have it fall limply to her side.

"Well, you can sleep when we get in the van," assured Skull Boy, and we turned right and into the next row of cars.

There were two rows on either side, and it was a big parking lot. I became tired quickly, since it was muggy and I'd been worked up already with Misery.

"Here we are," said Ruby as we approached the last vehicle on the left.

I put her in the back seat, and she sighed as I helped her get comfortable. Before long, she let out a huge yawn, and was sound asleep.

"You should be able to fit," said Poe as he flew into the back to perch on the arm rest of Iris's seat.

"I think I'll fly back. I have a lot I need to think about," I sighed, buckling Misery's seat belt.

"Are you sure? You seem tired after that long walk," queried Ruby.

"I'll be okay," I admitted, slowly backing away from the van.

"Uh... okay. See you at home then," she said, sounding unsure.

"See ya," said Iris, and soon the van's doors were closed.

I waved goodbye, and rose slowly into the air, flapping as hard as my tired muscles would let me. I rose higher and higher, until I was level with the clouds. I flew in the direction of the mansion, keeping an eye on the van. But because my muscles were so tired, I had soon lost sight of it. Luckily, I knew where the mansion was from here. I let the wind carry me most of the way, while I pondered through my options. It looked as though I was stuck in Gloomsville now, however, since Misery was so sick.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't make the decision right at the moment, I still have probably two more days to make the official one," I sighed to myself.

When I finally got to the mansion, I saw the van wasn't there. I wondered why. I began to panic. Was it Misery's bad luck striking them down? They were very old-fashioned, so they had no cellular contact. I checked the door, and it was locked. But thanks to Ruby, I had been given my own spare key and had remembered to bring it. I took it out of my pocket, opening the door and just barely making it through before falling to my knees.

"Oh!" I groaned, pulling myself up and taking the key out of the door before closing it.

I headed slowly and tiredly up to the third floor where the bedrooms were, and collapsed onto my bed. I was so worried about Misery, but exhausted at the same time. I tried to get up to see if anyone was in the house, but my body wouldn't let me. I just fell back down again. So, against my will, I stayed there, motionless. Though I was very worried about the gang, and in particular, Misery, I couldn't move. My muscles were stiff as boards. I rolled onto my side, but was unable to do anything more. I was stuck.


	13. Everything's Okay

"Karina. Karina. Karina!"

I couldn't tell who that was. My mind was foggy. What was going on? Why were they sounding so worried? Where was I?

"Karina! Wake up! Are you okay?!"

I finally managed to open my eyes, moaning as I tried to figure out where I was. I was still feeling as stiff as before. I did manage to move my head to look and see who was calling me. It was Ruby.

"Oooooooh! My legs. My arms. I can't move," I groaned.

"You were asleep for quite some time. Are you feeling alright?" asked Ruby.

I thought for a second, trying to remember what happened. It was still very vague to me.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice croaking slightly.

"You had said you were going to fly home. When we came back we called you for supper, but you didn't come down. We came up to check on you and found you asleep. It's been two hours since I'd last checked on you!" she exclaimed.

I remembered now. It had taken at least a half an hour to get to the mansion, and by the time I'd gotten there, I remembered the sun, or at least the rays that were visible, had suddenly disappeared. It had gotten dark early that evening. I moved my eyes toward the window, and saw the moon was making an appearance. I looked at the clock on the wall, 07:00.

"What time do you think the sun disappeared?" I asked her, concerned.

"I think probably about 04:00."

Three hours I was asleep. And to be honest, I felt no better. I was heavy, sore, and groggy.

"Misery had some lightning difficulties, she had an anaphylactic reaction to a drink Poe gave her, and then she developed a rash from something in the air. But we'd taken care of it. That all happened on the way home. We dealt with that quickly enough though that we were home by five. I'd called you for supper, which we'd brought home from DeGloomer's, but you didn't come down. So I came up here and saw you were sleeping," she explained.

I sighed with relief, knowing that Misery was finally okay.

"Misery's asleep from all the excitement. She had supper, and then as soon as she managed to get down the stairs she collapsed on her bed of nails and just fell right to sleep," she continued.

I slowly and shakily managed to sit up, moving my feet to the floor.

"Hey! She's okay!" cried Iris, bouncing at the entrance of my door before falling into the wall. "I'm good."

I stood up, wobbling suddenly. I felt strange. I hoped it was tiredness. Luckily, Ruby let me eat in my room, since she saw how hard I was struggling. I was able to eat everything, which I was happy about, and as soon as I finished, I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. I was exhausted.

"Do you think you'll be okay?" asked Ruby.

"I feel like I might be catching something, to be completely honest with you," I admitted, rubbing my head.

"It's all the stress you're putting your body in. You need to relax. Bad things are always going to happen to Misery. We've dealt with them on our own before. Don't feel like you need to be keeping an eye on her all the time. We can deal with everything ourselves. You need rest now, Karina," ordered Ruby.

She was right. I did need rest. And luckily, now that things were starting to improve, I was able to do just that.

"So you can manage everything yourself?" I questioned, climbing into bed.

"Of course. We took care of Misery's reactions all by ourselves. She still has the rash a little bit, but the itching is gone. Now, you get some sleep," said Ruby, kissing my cheek.

"Thank you. I will," I yawned, and let my eyes close.

I drifted into sleep within minutes, and the last thing I could remember before I fell into slumber was Ruby stroking my hair.


	14. My Turn

When I awoke, the sun was visible. I looked up at my clock, 07:00. I slept eleven hours. But it had been worth it. I felt amazing!

"Karina! Are you awake?" I heard a voice call through my door.

I jumped up and ran happily over. I was smiling from ear to ear, and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I opened it.

"Someone's in a good mood," laughed Ruby.

"I'm better today! I'm not sick! I'm happy!" I cried, hugging her.

"Great!" she cried, equally happy.

I headed down with her, and saw that Iris and Misery were there when we entered the kitchen. Misery had a few red splotches on her face, but she seemed okay.

"I have a bad feeling. And it's not sickness. It's something else," she said suddenly.

"Oh dear. What's it feel like?" queried Ruby.

"Like someone's about to break in or something," she admitted.

I thought for a second. But decided to start on my breakfast before I did anything. I was just finishing when I heard a troubled-sounding knock at the door.

"I got it!" cried Iris, bouncing up on her spring shoes, but then falling on her way there. "I'm okay!"

When she opened the door, I heard a voice, in broken English, say, "We look for kinnari ka."

"The what?" wondered Iris, confused.

"Karina?" questioned Ruby, heading over to the door.

"Kinnari. Uh... she part bird, and human, she have black hair, hazel eyes, we think she come here ka," said the voice.

I froze. I knew who it was. The owner of the exhibit. I did not want to go back after all. I knew what this meant. Twelve hours standing like a statue. Trying to hide the fact I really can walk, talk, sing, dance, and fly.

"I'm not here!" I whispered to Skull Boy, who had come in just as the knock was heard, and flew over to the couch to hide behind it.

"Uh oh," he said, but then I heard Ruby's voice calling for me.

"Karina? Someone by the name of... Narisara... I don't know if I said that right... wants to see you! Please, come in, Narisara."

"She is kinnari," laughed Narisara.

"She told us her name was Karina. So that's what we've been calling her," explained Ruby.

"Okay ka," replied Narisara.

"If I may, what is ka?" queried the little shadow I could just make out from under the table, Scaredy.

Narisara was in full view now, and I saw her bend down to look under the table. She smiled at the bat and said, "Ka make sentence more polite. I say ka, and speaker who male say khrap."

"Interesting," he smiled, flying up for a second so he was up on the table.

"Hello... uh, khrap," said Skull Boy, laughing nervously.

"Haha! Hello ka. In Thai, hello sawatdi," she smiled.

"Oh. Uh... sawatdi khrap," he said, still nervous-sounding.

"Sawatdi ka," laughed Narisara, and then I froze.

I saw her look straight in my direction. I was cornered now!

"Oh!" she cried, running over to my hideout.

"No! No! Don't take me back! I don't like it there!" I cried in Thai, and everyone stared at me.

"You left without even so much as a goodbye to your kinnon friend!" exclaimed Narisara, and I saw everyone freeze in fear.

"I hope there won't be a fight," I heard Skull Boy whisper to Ruby.

"No, I doubt it will come to that," was Ruby's reply.

"You're to represent females and there beauty! You can't leave something like that! The male represents elegance and power. They only make up one half! You need to come back now! Your half is missing!" she continued, her voice showing slight anger.

Thais never get angry. Or at least, they don't show it, so this made me cringe.

"I did tell him I wanted to leave. He said that I shouldn't, because even though Thailand is changing, I'm the remaining beauty. But I don't like that there aren't any forests anymore," I explained, my voice high.

"He's right! Come with me! You've been gone long enough! He's become sick over the passed month. He won't eat when we feed him, he won't talk to us, he won't even smile for his statue pose anymore," said Narisara, her voice lowering in volume.

I frowned at this. But then I glared. I swore this was something she was saying just to get me to come with her.

"Ha! Like I'd believe that!"

The gang gasped, Narisara reaching out and putting her arms around me. She pulled me out, and I began to cry.

"Oh no!" cried Ruby as she watched me being pulled away.

Now, it was my turn to suffer. I never thought they'd find me. Or at least not as soon as they had. I may have seemed as if I was suffering before, but this was new. No one else but me was being hurt this time. And I was scared.

"Don't worry! We'll find a way to get you back!" I heard a voice call, and then I felt something stab me in the arm.

Before I could object any further, I blacked out. The last thing I could remember was Misery sobbing, and Ruby calling out to me, "We'll find you!"


	15. The Exhibit

I awoke suddenly to a buzz of people. Where was I? I heard someone say, "She's fallen over! Either that, or someone broke her!"

Oh no. The exhibit. I knew what was to be expected now. The constant standing for twelve hours like a statue, the tiring motions I had to make in order for it to seem like the wind was moving me, and the people flashing pictures in my eyes. My head was fuzzy. Someone had injected me with a tranquilizer. And the worst part was, I wasn't awake enough for the little girl who saw me crumpled on the floor to help me up.

"When she realizes I'm the same weight as a human she's going to freak!" I heard my thoughts scream.

She put her hands under my arms, and began to make the lifting motion. I forced my legs to hoist me up, but I fell almost immediately after.

"Someone broke her!" cried the girl, running over to Narisara.

"I got her," Narisara said, and came over to me.

She whispered something in my ear, but I was still groggy from the drugs. I couldn't make it out.

"Wuh?" I asked, trying to fight the urge to sleep.

"Listen to me. You need to stay low. You're still groggy. I'll tell them you will be repaired tomorrow. And the drugs should ware off by then anyway," she said, this time slower.

When no one was looking, my kinnon friend came over to me, pulling me into him and hugging me.

"I missed you so much! Where did you go?" he asked, his voice choked up.

"I went to Gloomsville," I said, my speech slightly slurred.

"What did Narisara do to you?!" he cried, his voice a low whisper.

He was now looking into my eyes, and saw that I had enlarged pupils.

"She injected me with a tranquilizer because I wouldn't calm down enough for her to get me back here," I managed, taking no notice at the time to how I sounded.

I felt like I'd been drinking alcohol. Though I never actually did, I would watch people at the clubs I saw when I'd be exploring outside. They were all wobbly, disoriented, and their speech was slurred. That was exactly how I felt.

"How did they treat you in Gloomsville?" he asked, putting his arms around me.

"They were the nicest people I'd ever met outside of Thailand," I admitted.

"Why is the place called Gloomsville?" he questioned, moving back a little.

"Because they're gloomy looking and it's gloomy outside. But they're very kind and helpful," I sighed, wanting nothing more to do with conversation at this point.

"Okay. Just curious. I'm sorry. I'll let you sleep. I'm just happy your back," he smiled, kissing my cheek before I dozed off.

When I finally awoke, it was sunset, and everyone was gone. My kinnon friend stood over me, a hand on my shoulder.

"Hello. How are you?" he queried.

"Better now, thank you. I'm sorry I'd made you sick," I sighed.

"I never got sick. I was just worried. Did they say that?" he asked.

"They said you wouldn't smile or eat," I admitted, standing up.

"Oh. I ate, but not as much. I had trouble smiling since you'd been gone for so long," he explained, putting his arms around me in a hug.

"How long was I under the spell of the drug? I mean when they first brought me back?" I wondered.

"Probably about twenty minutes," he answered, his voice lowering, and his face turning into a frown.

"What's wrong?" I questioned.

"I'm scared you'll leave again," he replied after a moment of silence, his voice choked up again.

"I can't. They won't let me," I frowned.

I was sure they would find out I'd left. If they found me once, they'll find me again. I was stuck. There was no turning back now.


	16. The Homecoming

I awoke the next morning to the sounds of people whispering, but I couldn't tell who they were. I yawned, stretched, and turned my head to my kinnon friend.

"Did you see them come in?" I asked him, my voice a low whisper.

"Hmmm?" he wondered, his voice a little croaky.

"Oh. I guess not. Sorry I woke you," I whispered.

"No problem," he replied, yawning and falling back to sleep.

I looked at the clock, and it was too early for people to be working. It said 07:00, and they didn't open until 08:00. I squinted through the darkness, and I saw faces I recognized.

"Hey! Ruby! Iris! Misery! Frank and Len! Poe! Scaredy! Doom! Skull Boy! Hahaha! Even Mr. Buns!" I cried, my voice a high whisper, so as not to wake my friend.

"Karina! Come and look what we have!" cried Skull Boy.

He led me to a door, and opened it. As if planned, a young, but oddly familiar-looking kinnari flew in.

"Skull Boy had made her in order to trick Narisara and your friend! You can come with us now!" laughed Iris.

I jumped up and down in delight, excited. She looked so much like me, that I couldn't even see one flaw in this plan.

"He had even told her about you and your friend. As for the Thai language, she probably earned that as a bonus gift from a god or something. I don't know how she learned Thai. She'd been speaking it off and on though," explained Ruby.

"Wow! He won't know I'm missing! This is rich! Thank you guys so much!" I cried, hugging Ruby, and watching the new kinnari fly over to the kinnon.

"I love you," I heard her say in perfect Thai, and he awoke to look at her.

"I love you too. I'm so glad you're here now," he sighed.

"Me too," she smiled, and they put their arms around each other with affection.

We stood there a moment, watching the two engage in a sudden love-filled kiss. The kinnon had managed to get his fingers tangled in her hair, but all she did was moan in pleasure, mumbling, "Keep going. Don't stop." I smiled at them before turning back to face the gang.

"Oh. And she already knows how to do the things you do. I think Skull Boy had given her notes on how to use her powers. He had a book on the kinnari," Ruby added.

"Thank you again guys! I don't know how I could possibly repay you!" I cried, jumping up and down.

I then got everyone together and hugged them all at once. Doom huddled between my legs, and we all hugged and played with each other's hair. Except for the guys and Misery, who just gave me pats on the shoulder.

"WOOHOO!" cried Frank and Len.

"I'm so happy we found you!" laughed Poe and Scaredy in unison.

"Skull Boy had also built this machine that took us here within about half an hour," added Iris.

"Well, what are we waiting for!? Let's go back home!" I cried, and we headed for Skull Boy's machine.

"So how did she learn how to use her powers so quickly?" I asked Skull Boy.

"Well, she was just a very quick learner. She's very quick at picking up skills," he replied.

Just before we left the exhibit, I saw the new kinnari dancing with the kinnon. They had their hands resting on each other's shoulders, and big smiles on their faces! I began to cry with happiness, and put my arm over Skull Boy's shoulders, leaning in close.

"I have no words to describe how thankful I am for you. In fact, I have been rendered motionless. I could thank you until the day Misery turns five-thousand years old and it still wouldn't be enough," I said through my tears.

"Shucks. It's nothing. We'd do anything for a friend," he laughed.

"Misery? I notice your rash is gone. How long was I away for?" I asked after a while, my voice confused.

"Three days, I think," she replied, her voice low and croaky again.

I had been knocked out for three days straight! Incredible! I wondered why it took Narisara so long to get back to Thailand. That didn't matter now though, since there was a new kinnari in my place, who had my brain implanted in her, so to speak.

"Welcome home!" laughed Ruby, hugging me as we landed.

"Thank you!" I laughed, and we soon taxied into the driveway of the gloomy gang's mansion.

As I climbed out of the little plane, I decided to do a dance to show how happy I was. I began with some graceful gliding, so that I looked like I was flying. Then I spun around and let the wind take my hair in its hands. I smiled the whole time I danced, and for a moment, I was so absorbed in my dance that I didn't know the gang was watching. That is, until Iris shouted, "Keep going! Keep going!"

"Yeah!" cried Ruby, and soon everyone had joined in.

I stopped eventually, pulling out a little instrument from my bag. It was a flute. I played a little sequence of notes, the gang putting the movements to the rhythm I played. My eyes glowed as I played, and I swayed with the music, so I could be sure to keep in time. I was so happy that I almost sped up. But luckily I was able to catch myself and bring the song back to the original tempo. I may have sped up a little, but the gang was still dancing.

"You guys really caught on!" I laughed.

"It's all thanks to you!" said Misery, laughing slightly.

We headed inside, and I yawned. I was tired. I didn't know if the drugs were still affecting me, or if it was the dancing. But Ruby looked closer at me, and saw that my eyes had a strange shine to them.

"Did someone drug you?" she wondered, her voice nervous.

"Yeah. But it was because I wouldn't calm down when Narisara tried to take me away," I explained.

"That should go away within a day or two," Misery said.

"It was only yesterday I woke up, so I guess I have to wait another few days," I sighed, heading up to my room.

Ruby followed, sitting down at the foot of my bed. I climbed in, and she sprawled out next to me as soon as I got comfortable.

"How does it feel to be home again?" she asked.

"Great. I love it here. Despite the gloominess, I enjoy the place very much," I admitted, yawning again.

I put my hand in Ruby's, almost as if to say, "Don't leave." She seemed to catch on, and she put her fingers around it, rubbing her thumb along the back of it. My muscles were so weak from the sudden tiredness that I couldn't copy her motions, but I just decided to go with the current moment, and absorb every little bit of it.

"I'll let you sleep this off. Welcome home, Karina," laughed Ruby.

"Thank you," I managed through the grogginess, and I fell quickly and soundly to sleep, just barely noticing Ruby let go of my hand.


End file.
